SAE

What SAE does

Groupe SAE is a French geotechnical and environmental engineering firm headquartered in Tourves (Var) that delivers soil studies, on-site sanitation design, stormwater management, and soil pollution diagnostics under three wholly-owned brands: SAE, SOL ETUDE, and SETHI ENVIRONNEMENT. The company operates within the French regulatory framework defined by AFNOR standard NF P 94-500 for geotechnical missions (G1 through G5 — from preliminary site study through diagnostic expertise) and NF DTU 64.1 for autonomous sanitation systems, with stated use of the Porchet permeability method for higher-precision soil analysis. Service delivery is field-based, with specialised capabilities such as helicopter lifting of drilling equipment for difficult-access sites and emerging geotechnical expertise for agricultural photovoltaic installations.

The business model is project-based professional services: each mission is individually scoped and quoted (devis), executed by the company's own field engineers, and invoiced upon completion or acceptance. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; the only quantitative signal is a €150 HT hourly charge for non-productive travel. The customer base spans private individuals and small builders (foundation, pool, extension studies), municipalities and public sector clients (SPANC delegations since 2003, public tenders for hamlet rehabilitation, stormwater dossiers for ZAC developments), and commercial/industrial developers (KFC restaurants, telecom towers, wine cellars, social housing pollution diagnostics, tool stores, training centres). GTM is hybrid — direct-to-consumer for individuals via website quote forms, phone, and email, and direct-to-enterprise for municipalities and large commercial clients — with no resellers or third-party distributors. The company has accumulated over 30,000 completed studies across France since inception and currently executes more than 2,000 geotechnical missions per year.

Geographic coverage is nationally oriented with regional concentrations: primary operational base in PACA (Var/Brignoles), regional offices in Rhône-Alpes and PACA, and active projects cited in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. Marketing relies on SEO-optimised content, a YouTube channel with project case studies, directory listings, banner advertising on achat-terrain.com, and a Trustindex-verified review badge. There is no disclosed external funding, no parent company, and no PE/VC ownership; the firm appears founder/management-controlled with three named individuals in operational leadership (Denis Rosentzweig, Eric Battista, Xavier Magherini) and no public revenue figures.

Name

SAE

Legal name

SAE Sud Assainissement et Environnement

Website

https://groupe-sae.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Groupe SAE is a French geotechnical and environmental engineering firm providing soil studies (G1–G5), on-site sanitation design, stormwater management, and soil pollution diagnostics to private individuals, municipalities, and commercial developers across France, operating through three wholly-owned brands from its Tourves (Var) headquarters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tourves

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional Engineering Studies: One-time project-based fees for geotechnical studies (G1–G5), sanitation studies, stormwater management studies, and soil pollution diagnostics. Pricing is quote-based per mission. The CGV/CGI document confirms invoices are issued upon completion or acceptance of signed quotes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Groupe SAE is a French engineering group that provides geotechnical soil studies (missions G1–G5 per NF P 94-500), on-site sanitation system design (per NF DTU 64.1), stormwater management and hydrology studies, and soil pollution diagnostics. The group operates through three brands (SAE, SOL ETUDE, SETHI ENVIRONNEMENT) and serves private individuals, builders, municipalities, and commercial developers across France.

Product overview

Groupe SAE is a French engineering group offering geotechnical and environmental consulting services through three brands (SAE, SOL ETUDE, SETHI ENVIRONNEMENT). The core offering consists of soil studies and geotechnical engineering (G1-G5 missions per NF P94-500), on-site sanitation system design (per NF DTU 64.1), stormwater management, and soil pollution diagnostics. Services are delivered by qualified engineers and technicians with over 45 years of experience, serving private individuals, industries, and public authorities across France.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Étude de Sol / Étude Géotechnique (Geotechnical Soil Study) Core geotechnical soil study services covering missions G1 through G5 (preliminary site study through execution supervision and diagnostic) conducted according to AFNOR standard NF P94-500, for residential, commercial, and industrial construction projects.
• Étude d'Assainissement Non Collectif (ANC) / On-site Sanitation Study On-site sanitation system design studies including pedological analysis, hydrogeological assessment, permeability testing using Porchet, Guelph, Muntz, and Géolep methods, and wastewater treatment system sizing per NF DTU 64.1 standard.
• Gestion des Eaux Pluviales / Stormwater Management Study Hydrological studies and stormwater management services including watershed determination, treatment system design, retention basin sizing, "Dossier Loi sur l'Eau" preparation, and construction monitoring for regulatory compliance.
• Diagnostic de Pollution des Sols / Soil Pollution Diagnostic Environmental site assessment services for contaminated land evaluation, including pollution identification, environmental impact assessment, remediation strategy development, and monitoring during cleanup operations.
• Expertise Géotechnique Projets Photovoltaïques / Geotechnical Expertise for Photovoltaic Projects Geotechnical expertise services tailored for agricultural photovoltaic (solar farm) projects, supporting energy transition site development.
• Hélitreuillage de Matériel / Helicopter Lifting of Geotechnical Equipment Helicopter lifting of geotechnical drilling equipment for sites with difficult or no road access, such as telecommunications tower installations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 30,000 studies and diagnostics completed since inception, serving private individuals, industries, and municipalities across France.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CAPEB 66 (Confédération de l'Artisanat et des Petites Entreprises du Bâtiment des Pyrénées-Orientales)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 February 2014CAPEB 66 signed a partnership convention with SAE on 13 February 2014 at the Maison de l'Artisan in Perpignan. The partnership was presented by Denis Rosentzweig of Groupe SAE and signed by Patrick Sured, President of CAPEB 66. The agreement grants CAPEB members preferential access to geotechnical studies (mission G12), sanitation studies, and stormwater management studies at discounted rates (20%), with simplified administrative processes.
• ASTEE (Association Scientifique et Technique pour l'Eau et l'Environnement)minorOthersSAE is noted as a former member of ASTEE, participating in industry reflections on various aspects of water management. This is a non-commercial membership association.
• AFNOR (Association Française de Normalisation)coreOthersSAE is a former member of AFNOR and expert member contributing to the development of DTU 64.1 standard for autonomous sanitation systems. Active participation in the elaboration of French construction norms.
• KFC BrignolesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGroupe SAE announced a partnership with KFC for the construction of a new restaurant in Brignoles. The company provided geotechnical and engineering studies for the project.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Antea Group: Antea Group is a broad environmental and engineering consultancy offering soil pollution diagnostics, water resource studies, and site assessments. Overlaps with SAE on environmental and hydrogeological services but with a much wider national/international footprint.
• SCE (Groupe Keran): SCE is a multi-disciplinary French engineering consultancy active in water, environment, and urban development with overlap on stormwater management and sanitation studies. Broader portfolio but competes on the same public-tender projects.
• Burgeap: Burgeap is a French environmental engineering consultancy specializing in polluted site diagnostics, hydrogeology, and environmental impact assessments. Directly comparable to SETHI ENVIRONNEMENT's pollution diagnostics line.
• Egis Géotechnique: Egis is a major French engineering group with a geotechnics business line offering soil studies and foundation design for infrastructure projects. Competes with SAE on larger infrastructure tenders and stormwater dossiers.

Direct peers

• Ginger CEBTP: Ginger CEBTP is a leading French geotechnical engineering firm offering G1–G5 missions, soil studies, and environmental diagnostics nationally. It is a direct competitor to Groupe SAE on the same mission taxonomy and customer segments (builders, municipalities, industrials).
• Fondasol: Fondasol is a French geotechnical and environmental engineering firm providing soil studies, pollution diagnostics, and hydrogeology. Competes with SAE on geotechnical and environmental missions across French territory.
• Hydrogéotechnique: Hydrogéotechnique is a French geotechnical and hydrogeological engineering firm offering soil studies, sanitation studies, and water management. Highly comparable to SAE given overlapping service mix and municipal/builder customer base.
• Géotec: Géotec is a France-wide pure-play geotechnical engineering firm delivering soil studies, foundation diagnostics, and geotechnical supervision (G1–G5). Closest direct peer to SAE given identical service scope and engineering-led delivery model.
• Sol-Essais: Sol-Essais is a French geotechnical engineering firm offering G1–G5 missions, soil studies, and laboratory testing. A direct regional peer to SAE with comparable mission coverage and target customers.

Emerging players

• Alia Géotechnique: Alia Géotechnique is a smaller French geotechnical engineering firm operating in regional markets with G1–G5 study offerings. Comparable service scope but smaller scale; representative of the long tail of regional competitors SAE faces locally.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC-ox2nKAz2TXf0hiWTCnyVw
• Xx.com/groupesae
• Facebookfacebook.com/GROUPESAE

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SAE